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BERLIN, N.H. -- The Design-Build Institute of America recently bestowed a national merit award on the Federal Correctional Institution—Berlin project at its annual awards dinner.

A joint venture of Heery and Bell Corporation designed and constructed the $245-million project and successfully overcame numerous challenges presented by the rural Northern New Hampshire weather and site, which included three years of record snowfalls.

The team adapted the Federal Bureau of Prison’s design standards to account for heavy snows by adding sloped roofs and an interior corridor. It also surmounted extreme weather conditions, a six and one-half-foot thick frost line and a demanding 37-month schedule. The team maximized the use of local labor, far exceeding FBOP’s goals, and delivered the project on schedule and within budget.

“Our accomplishment is completely a function of using the design-build approach,” says Brian Milburn, Heery’s project executive. “We were able to expedite portions of the work and get started on construction, while design was still ongoing.”

Heery International is an architecture, interior design, engineering, program management and construction management firm with offices nationwide. As an affiliated company of Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the world’s leading professional services companies, Heery now operates as that firm’s U.S. buildings operating company. Visit www.heery.com.